Additional Can’t Hold Down Hands-On Learning articles:
Over the years, academic competitions
have become increasingly popular, attracting
students of all ages and walks of life. From
simple school science fairs to knowledge
bowls to national competitions such as FIRST®
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science
and Technology), competitions often bring
out the best in students, pushing them to go
beyond what they’ve learned in the classroom
by applying those concepts and skills to real
life and the world around them.
Beyond teaching kids how to fail forward
and lose gracefully, these competitions
increase teamwork, collaboration, SEL skills,
build growth mindsets, and help students
find their place in the world. Academic
competitions enable students to test
themselves in different areas and find their
passion. As the FIRST website notes, the
competition “helps young people discover
a passion for STEM and develop the skills
they’ll need to succeed in today’s competitive
workforce” (firstinspires.org).
And, FIRST is just one of many academic
competitions available. KidWind Challenge
Events, for example, focus on wind and
solar energy challenges, while SkillsUSA®
competitions include a wide variety of career
and tech ed events designed to introduce
students to the skilled workforce.
2021: THE YEAR OF VIRTUAL CHALLENGES
When COVID-19 hit in 2020, most academic
competitions were canceled, leaving a void in
many students’ school year and even summer.
So, when several competitions resumed in
2021, albeit virtually, teams were glad to have
at least something to look forward to.
What teachers and students alike discovered,
however, is that, while a virtual competition
beats no competition at all, there’s just nothing
that compares to in-person competitions.
Virtual competitions kept everyone safe, but
teams missed the face-to-face interaction of
the in-person challenges.
“I definitely prefer in person,” said Dale Toney,
who teaches advanced manufacturing at
Belleview High School in Belleview, Florida, and
also coaches the school’s robotics and SkillsUSA
teams. Belleview had the only team from
Florida in the 2021 SkillsUSA: Commercial sUAS
(Drone) Competition, which, like all the SkillsUSA
competitions that year, was held virtually.
“I felt that the group that ran the event
did a really good job,” said Toney, “but
communication was really challenging. The
national event was stretched over two weeks
and that was problematic when we were out
of school. Students were not enjoying it by
this time and it was difficult to get them to
come and practice. When the competitions
occur in person, students are more focused
and can plan accordingly. . . . In person is, by
far, preferred. The comradery between the
teams and the help and visual learning that
happens at these events can’t be replaced by
a video camera.”
Sam Warwick, engineering instructor and
robotics coach at Heritage High School in
Maryville, Tennessee, also feels in-person
competitions have a distinct advantage over
virtual competitions. Heritage High School
had a two-person robotics team compete in
the 2021 SkillsUSA: Robotics Urban Search and
Rescue (USAR) event.
“My students missed being able to meet
other people, team building through sharing
experiences, and getting the experiences of
traveling to cities you’ve not been to before,”
he explained.
Technical issues also came into play during
the virtual competitions. “Personal feedback
from the judges is much better than through
Zoom,” said Toney. Meanwhile, the USAR
teams were dealing with a new
requirement due to the virtual
nature of the competition. “The
virtual competition was also a
challenge because of the technical
requirement of filming a streaming
course run, in the summer, without
our IT department,” said Warwick.
The last two years of canceled
or virtual-only events have hit
team recruitment hard as well. “I
normally have an interview process
for positions on the teams,” said
Warwick, “but it was really hard to
recruit team members this year
as it has been almost three years
since we traveled. In fact, we did
not enter two of the competitions
we normally enter because of
a lack of students. . . . All of my
students who traveled with us in the past
have graduated, so my current students don’t
have anyone they know who has had the full
competition experience.”
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2022-2023
Things are beginning to open up across the US
now, and that includes academic competitions.
And, Toney and Warwick – and their students –
couldn’t be happier.
“We are looking forward to having in-person
events this year,” said Warwick. “And, I’m
looking forward to introducing my current
students to the team building and challenges
that only in-person events can offer.”
Toney is equally excited. “We will be
competing in SkillsUSA drone competitions
this year,” he said. “We have two teams of two
students each. They will be building drones and
learning telemetry, FAA rules, and flying skills as
well as troubleshooting and repair skills. More
importantly, they will be able to share their
experiences with other teams, and that is a huge
connection that doesn’t happen virtually.”
Warwick’s teams will also be preparing for
SkillsUSA competitions, but in the USAR arena.
“Hopefully, we will qualify for the nationals
in Atlanta.”
Pitsco is ready for in-person competitions too!
Pitsco is also excited to see
in-person competitions opening
back up! We are affiliated with
several competitions across the
country, including the FIRST Tech
Challenge, SkillsUSA: USAR and
Commercial sUAS events, Technology
Student Association events, Science
Olympiad, and the World Robot
Olympiad. Be sure to look for Pitsco
booths and personnel at these and
other events in your area! See Pitsco.com/Experience-Pitsco/Events for a full list of upcoming events!